Introduction to Phenolic Foam
Non-combustible Phenolic Foam
Phenolic Foam is a highly efficient energy saving insulation material, with good conductivity (“R” value of 9.8). Igloo Thermal ™ Phenolic products have passed the E84/BS fire tests according to ASTM standards with proven results of 10 flames spread and 0 smoke develop which complies with the North American and European building inspection standards. This allows for our product to be used in exposed and crawl space of any project.
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| Phenolic Foam |
Igloo Thermal ™ closed cell patent rigid Phenolic foams are constructed of Phenolic resin which is fire retardant, flame retardant, foaming and curing agents. Our patent product assures Closed-celled toughness.
Our phenolic foam plastic and production techniques is patent for (Application No: 200310113965.3) and The aluminum foil-phenolic foam sandwich composite panels and production technique is patent for (Application No: 02108279.0)
Phenolic
foam can be formed into a block which then can be cut into specific
pipe insulation sections, pipe support, and insulation panels. We
at Igloo Thermal ™ also produce duct work panels using a 24
hour automated production line. According to our customer specifications
and the project we are able to customize OEM requirements as per
our customer’s request.
One of the unique advantages that Igloo Thermal ™ closed-cell and rigid Phenolic foams have, is that they are light in weight and have beneficial cost savings, when compared to the traditional insulation materials currently in the market.
The thin wall, high in R-Value and cost effective makes the Phenolic products suitable for most projects such as: building construction, cold storage warehouses, accumulator tanks, natural gas projects, steamships, trains, and all other insulation projects that require space and energy saving. Our Phenolic foam products can be adjusted to a specific density according to the customer's specification requested.
1. Comparison of phenolic foam and other insulation materials:
| ITEMS | DENSITY(kg/m3) | THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY (w/m .k) |
| PHENOLIC FOAM | 25-300 | 0.016-0.035 |
| POLY-ETHYLENE | 22-30 | 0.029-0.035 |
| POLY-URETHANE | 25-100 | 0.023-0.026 |
| POLY-STYRENE | 30 | 0.033-0.04 |
| GLASS WOOL | 24-28 | 0.03-0.042 |
| ROCK-WOOL | 40-60 | 0.033-0.042 |
The density of the traditional insulation materials is around 30kg/m3. So is phenolic foam. Its light weight enables the easy moving and installation. From the above form, we can see that the thermal conductivity of phenolic foam is very low. If we only consider the thermal conductivity, then phenolic foam is one of the best insulation material. The density of Phenolic foam can be produced much higher and the thermal conductivity much lower than the traditional insulation material which usually is at approximately 30kg/m3 in density and 0.04w/m.k in thermal conductivity. (See above chart )
2. Combustion Performance:
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| Demonstration of Combustion Performance |
| ITEM | PHENOLIC FOAM | POLY-ETHYLENE | POLY-STYRENE | POLY-URETHANE |
| OXYGEN INDEX | 46 | >32 | <30 | >32 |
3. Mechanical Property:
| PROPERTY | DENSITY(kg/m3) | |||
| 32 | 64 | 160 | 320 | |
| Compressive Strength (kpa) | 172 | 414 | 2070 | 7584 |
| Bending Strength (kpa) | 172 | 418 | ||
| Shear Strength (kpa) | 96 | 207 | ||
| Tensile Strength (kpa) | 139 | 290 | 6343 | |
| Shock Strength (kpa) | 0.067 | |||
The mechanical properties of Phenolic foam can be easily adjusted to different densities due to its good flexibility. The densities of most phonelic foam blocks we currently produce are of 40kg/m3, 60kg/m3, 80kg/m3, 100/m3, 120/m3 depending on the applications our customers would need it for. Any other densities can also be customized.
